


The Purge

by carameldrizzle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Rewrite, tragic backstories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:19:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22010182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carameldrizzle/pseuds/carameldrizzle
Summary: Rewrite. Trost High is a bad enough school, what with the corrupted administration and menacing student body, but the strings that pull at it are darker. At the root of it all is Levi Ackerman, whose reign of terror has been interrupted by a freshman with pretty green eyes and an infuriating attitude.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	The Purge

**Author's Note:**

> I have written and rewritten this intro many a time, debating what I should say. I think the only truly important thing to note is that The Purge is going to be different from what it was. Whether or not that change is desirable will just have to boil down to independent readers.

The sun was high and radiating heat onto the backs of student and teacher alike, the semicircular driveway was packed with cars so tight that nobody was moving, the fading summer air was filled with the hyper screeches of new freshmen, and among the hustle and bustle of the first day of school, senior Levi Ackerman watched the commotion with narrowed eyes and a catlike smirk.

Trost High, on the surface, was a pleasant school. Far from prestigious but definitely not poor, it was privately funded and open to the public. It churned out honor students at an acceptable rate and reports of student body happiness were relatively high. Parents took one look at their reputation and sponsors and sent their kids in without a thought.

They had no idea what they were getting into.

Years back, Trost was a congregation of the poor and delinquent. Graffiti on the lockers, fights at every corner, half of the teachers having walked out for better positions elsewhere - it was straight out of an apocalyptic movie. Nobody with any sense dared send their children there, and, shitty as the city of Rose was, authority took no action to stop it, no matter how many pleas they received.

Fed up, a small band of students took it upon themselves to purge the school of its gathered filth. Their methods were harsh, but in their eyes - and the eyes of many others - it was a necessary evil. Sacrifices were made. Injuries were common. The worst of them found their families purchasing headstones.

Not that anyone would miss them.

With new years came new students, broken families sending their messed up kids to terrorize others in a run-down shithole. Veterans of the original Purge, however, were having none of it, and it became a yearly ritual to cleanse the freshmen of lowly garbage. Slowly, with this process, the school's reputation rose, the building found itself the target of reparations through new investors, and new teachers filled the gaps until it was once more a complete, functioning place of education.

No Purge ever matched the intensity of the original, and, perhaps because of that, it began to fail. Students slipping through the cracks through false courtesy and students transferring into higher grades from other schools tainted the system.

As it turned out, wealthy investors liked seeing a school turn into a bloodbath, and, with extensive connections and a hell of a lot of money, victims never got the word out. One of those investors was the infamous Kenny Ackerman. He had a vice-like grip on the entire city, so even if anyone were to get news out, they would be quickly silenced.

For Levi, this system was absolutely perfect. After all, he was one of those responsible for corrupting it.

"Shouldn't you be terrorizing someone already?"

The voice was cheerful, lightheartedly mocking. Hange Zoe hopped onto the bike rack beside Levi, who had wiped it down thoroughly beforehand. They ignored the bustle of students who needed a spot to keep their bikes, and those who did not already avoid the duo were quickly warned away by others.

"I've got to pick them, first, four-eyes," Levi snarked in response, no real venom in the words. He rested his booted foot on the seat of someone's bike, and they did not have the guts to protest.

"Nobody sticks out yet?" Hange asked curiously.

"Do they ever?"

Hange shrugged. Levi had a point - everyone he had victimized was faceless in their mind now, giving in and dropping out or moving schools a month or less after Levi had picked them out. Often, they wondered the appeal in such a seemingly pointless and boring pastime.

"Um - excuse me!"

Both seniors started, surprised at the intrusion. A gangly brunet stood before them with the prettiest green eyes Levi had ever seen and a bicycle at his side. Immediately, Levi narrowed his eyes, and Hange quietly prepared for the spectacle that was to come.

"Mind if I put my bike here?" the kid asked, bright and friendly. "There's no spots except these ones."

Levi simultaneously loved and hated the pleasant rise and fall of his voice. He leaned back, not budging from his spot, and a cruel smile spread over his lips. "No."

The kid frowned. "Why not?" he asked, tone petulant, but eyes darkening in marked warning. He was annoyed, and it was exhilarating.

"Because I said so," Levi told him. He crossed his arms challengingly. The student rolled his eyes and moved forward.

"That's nice," he said dryly, and unraveled the bike chain on his wrist. "I'm gonna lock up my bike now."

Hange's eyebrows shot up, and nearby students turned their heads to stare. Levi cocked his head, eyes narrowing dangerously. Silver and teal sparked at one another. Tension crackled. A subconscious semicircle formed around the two as the freshman leaned down to loop the chain through the frame of his bicycle.

Levi raised one booted foot and aimed a harsh kick at the tire, sending both bicycle and boy tumbling to the ground, an indignant yelp renting the air. The crowd offered no more than a rippling murmur in response.

The kid scrambled to his feet, a scowl on his pretty sun-kissed face, and he brushed the dirt off his skinned palms before glowering up at Levi. The senior in question remained impassive, and turned back to Hange to signify he was done with their interaction.

"Do you feel better about yourself now?"

It was said flatly in a tone much less amiable than before, dripping with sardonicism, and with those words the courtyard fell silent.

Hange raised their eyebrows, glancing at the freshman before them. Levi was much slower in turning his head - what was this fluttering in his chest? Excitement? No, something stronger, something that took his breath away - _exhilaration._ He felt the smile crossing his face, and it had become so unbelievably foreign to him that he did not recognize it for a moment.

Everyone in the crowd shuffled backward when he hopped down from the bike rack. Everyone but _him._ The stupid, headstrong brat, staring him down defiantly with those pretty eyes, shoulders squared and fists clenched as though he expected a fight. Hange clicked their tongue behind him, a signal of disapproval, but Levi ignored it.

His boots were light, silent on the dirt. He stopped when they were nearly chest to chest, placing his hands on his hips, and cocked his head to one side.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked lightly, mirroring the tone the other had first used. The kid blinked, surprised, but did not back down.

"Eren," he replied stiffly.

Levi held his hand out. "Levi. I like you, Eren."

Shoulders relaxed somewhat, bafflement spelled out on Eren's face, coupled with a hint of defensiveness. Still, he reached out and grasped Levi's hand. A mistake; Levi yanked him forward, their torsos pressed together and his lips ghosting over Eren's ear.

"I think we're going to get very well-acquainted this year, Eren," he whispered. The freshman stood frozen, but he shivered at the breath on his ear. "And that doesn't spell out anything good for you."

Levi was nothing if not a whore for dramatic moments. He remained close for a moment more, relishing in how Eren tensed at his words, before stepping back and turning on his heel. He did not speak more. Instead, he motioned to Hange, and they followed him through the crowd. Students parted quickly to offer a path, and soon Eren was out of sight.

He was not, however, out of mind. Every painstaking minute Levi sat through his classes, taking notes and attempting to remember information, an image of pretty eyes in the back of his head kept him from focusing. Walking away from that brat had not freed him from his presence.

It was annoying.

It made his classes go by faster, at least, though being the first day of school made it all quite easy anyway. Levi could not fathom why anyone would ignore their classes; his day was made excruciatingly boring and long without something to pay attention to, and if he somehow lived to see adulthood, he would need the education - though he certainly had more reason than most to pay attention in school regardless.

Soon enough, the lunch bell was ringing, and, shouldering his bag, he made his way to the cafeteria. Whereas everyone else had to push their way through the raging crowd of smelly teenagers, Levi always found it parting for him. Even the new kids that knew nothing about him were persuaded to move by the hive mind that had the rest practically throwing themselves out of the way. Someone faceless held the cafeteria door open for him and he made a beeline for the northeast corner of the room.

Spotless and untouched by the grubby hands of his fellow students, Levi and his companions had claimed the corner booth as their own. Even the janitors kept away - not that there was any need for them to clean it. Levi took care of that himself. Like he needed their dirty, unchanged water all over the area he worked so hard to keep clean.

The booth was finally in sight, and Levi nearly sighed in relief - he loathed being surrounded by people for longer than necessary. In an instant, however, he was overwhelmed, and had to bite back rage at what he saw waiting for him.

Eren.

There he was, sitting there with his stupid messy hair and his stupid green eyes, smiling and laughing with two other new kids. A fragile looking blondie sat across from him, and a girl with hair as dark as Levi's own leaned against the wall next to him. Those snot-nosed little brats! It was not often a new kid was unlucky enough - or _foolish_ enough - to pick his table to sit at, let alone three of them.

His leisurely walk was spruced with urgency now, and before anyone at the booth could notice his presence he was throwing his backpack quite aggressively onto the table and hoisting himself onto its surface.

"Eren," he greeted the boy, who was noticeably startled by the intrusion, with gritted teeth and false enthusiasm. "What do you think about Trost so far? I see you've found _my table_ well enough."

 _"Your_ table?" Eren asked incredulously. "The cafeteria is free game!"

"The rest of the cafeteria is," Levi corrected him idly. "This table is mine, so I would very much appreciate it if you kindly fucked off."

"Is this him?" the girl in the corner piped up, in a voice that was vaguely familiar, and Levi turned to stare at her. His lips turned up at the corners in something akin to a smirk.

"Mikasa!" Oh, she was certainly familiar. He reached out and planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair, and she very aggressively shoved the appendage away.

"Levi," she seethed.

"You two know each other?"

Eren looked confused, now. Where was the indignant asshole Levi had met this morning? It seemed obvious now that Mikasa was in charge between them. If Levi wanted any more of that stubborn brat, he'd need to separate them. Mikasa likely would not let that happen easily, but of course, it added to the fun.

"Yes, yes, family get-togethers can wait," Levi said airily. He crossed his legs and leaned over, now nose-to-nose with Eren, and took pride in how the kid leaned back uncomfortably. "I'm not going to ask again. Get. Out."

It was a power trip, really. Everyone knew it. There was no reason Levi could not relocate, no reason for him to even claim this spot, no reason not to coexist with other students or allow them to go where they pleased. It was the rush of power, the fear in their eyes, the act of pushing others into submission that pushed him to continue being the worst dictator the school had.

"And if I say no?" Eren challenged. The spark in his eyes was mesmerizing.

Not mesmerizing enough to stop Levi from raising a foot and kicking him out of the booth, unfortunately, but it was nice all the same.

"What the hell?!"

People nearby started to stare, some intrigued, some pitying, but most kept to their own business. They knew better than to get involved. Mikasa was not one of those types. She rushed to help Eren up, then immediately rounded on Levi, anger flashing in matching gray eyes.

"You little - "

"Mikasa!"

The blond freshman threw himself out of the booth then, rushing to hold his friend back before she flung herself at Levi. Her hands were clenched into fists, but Levi felt no threat, tapping his nails idly on the tabletop.

"Are you leaving now?"

"Let's just go," the blond murmured, eyes wide and anxious. Mikasa snapped at him.

"Let go of me, Armin!"

"Calm down, Mikasa."

Eren's voice was almost eerily placid, sending the most delightful of chills trailing up Levi's spine. Mikasa nearly instantly calmed, glaring harshly but her struggle halting, like a dog scolded for barking too loudly. Cute.

Levi's attention turned to Eren, and tension rose as they stared each other down. Would the freshman challenge him, or would he choose his battles wisely? He looked prepared to lunge. That would be quite the riot.

"Come on." He picked his backpack up from where it leaned against the booth and shouldered it. "We can sit somewhere else."

Levi could not help his smile; those pretty sea eyes burned deep with a promise of revenge. He raised his hand in a cheeky farewell. He received no gesture in return.

"Who was that?"

Isabel's voice was loud in his ear. Levi immediately slipped back into a frown as his sister slid into the booth. She was followed by Hange shoving themself in beside her. Both had collected their trays from the lunch line already - some kind of cheesy breadstick thing that was absolutely drenched in grease. Isabel cared little, shoving it in her mouth.

"Someone unlucky," they answered dryly. "What are the odds he'd run into you twice in one day?"

"It's fate!" Isabel exclaimed, slamming a dramatic hand on the table. Farlan, approaching the table with his food, rolled his eyes in unison with Levi before taking his own seat opposite Isabel and Hange.

"Coincidence." Not that he'd mind more of said coincidences. Levi's eyes followed the trio that had left. They sat now on one of the long foldable tables with a large group, all talking and laughing. He could not see Eren's face.

"You're really still in on this?" Ever unimpressed with Levi's antics, Farlan piped in with a single raised brow. "Don't you think that, just maybe, school is more important than this pissing contest?"

Hange snorted. "That's one way of putting it."

"I have an obligation at this point," Levi replied airily as their final two friends approached, Petra squeezing in next to Hange as Mike took over the rest of the booth on Farlan's side. "Three years of something builds up a reputation."

"He's very smitten with this one," Hange teased. Isabel giggled, and unfortunately, both were immune to Levi's death glare.

"Hardly," he scoffed, but then Petra huffed in laughter as well, and he could tell no one believed him. Irate, he hopped off the table.

"Where are you going?" Farlan asked, tone warning. Levi waved him off.

"Bathroom."

Farlan seemed displeased, but nobody followed him, so Levi wrote it off and continued on his merry way.

* * *

"So . . . Levi."

Eren perked slightly, interest piqued for the first time since he'd come to sit at the new table. Mikasa was silently seething next to him, both of them too caught up in the prior interaction with the rude senior to pay attention to their friends, but now Sasha was staring at him with wide, curious eyes over her heaping plate, and he finally relented to pay her attention.

"What about him?"

"What do you mean, what about him?" Ymir snorted. She was their token troublemaker, familiar with the goings-on of Trost High behind the scenes, and there was no doubt she knew plenty about Levi. "We all saw what happened. How did you manage to get him on your ass in less than a day?"

"It wasn't very hard," Eren grumbled. He remembered their first meeting clearly - not just because it had been only that morning, but because his palms still stung from where they'd hit the ground. "How lame do you have to be to claim a bike rack?" he continued, moodily poking a straw in a juice carton. "Doesn't he have better things to do?"

"Wait, you've run into him _twice?"_ Connie asked incredulously, his eyebrows shooting sky high.

"That spells out trouble," Sasha agreed grimly.

"Because he's an asshole?" Eren snorted. "I've dealt with assholes before. He'll get what's coming to him, just like the rest of them." He pounded his fist in his hand for emphasis.

"Eren," Armin warned, and Eren flinched. "You know your record doesn't need another fist fight."

"You're right," Mikasa finally spoke up, eyes dark as she cracked her knuckles. "I'll do it instead."

"Good luck!" Ymir burst into a cackle, throwing her arm around her girlfriend, Krista, who had been quietly observing so far. "Levi could squash you all like roaches!"

Krista elbowed her side rather harshly, and Ymir winced.

"Princess - "

"Stop being mean, then, maybe?" Krista interrupted sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"I'm being honest!"

"You're being unhelpful."

"You wound me," Ymir sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Mikasa, untouched by the display, gave a rare roll of the eyes. "I've got unfinished business with him, anyway. We're going to have a nice, long talk, and catch up on the years since we've seen each other."

"If by _talk_ you mean pounding his face in," Connie said thickly through a mouthful of food, making Ymir pointedly scoot away in disgust.

"He does have quite the punchable face," Eren mused, sucking obnoxiously on his straw. "Think he could take us all at once?"

"Yes," Ymir said without hesitation, her smile completely dissolving.

"What about me?" came a new voice, overflowing with bravado, and they looked up to see Reiner hovering over the table. Bertholdt trailed behind him, looking as nervous as ever.

 _"Yes,"_ Ymir repeated, increasing emphasis in annoyance. "You're a transfer, Reiner, don't pretend you know what's up."

"My biceps are the size of his head," Reiner protested, flexing for emphasis, and he was met by several pairs of rolling eyes.

"Yeah, to compensate for your tiny brain," Ymir snorted. Bertholdt took a seat next to her, but Reiner only set his tray on the table, cracking both his thick neck and knuckles. "Are you eating with us or not?"

"In a moment," Reiner replied, rolling his shoulders. "Now that you've said I can't do it, I'm gonna prove you wrong."

"You're going to fight him right now?" Bertholdt piped up, anxiety dripping from his words, and Reiner laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"No, I'm only challenging him," he promised. "The fight will come later."

They watched as Reiner crossed the cafeteria to the booth claimed by Levi Ackerman and his crew. It only took a brief scan for Eren to realize Levi was not there; instead, Reiner was met by the same brunet Eren recognized from before, the one that had been sitting on the bike rack with Levi at their first meeting.

Their entire table waited, staring intensely as Reiner gestured broadly to the other table's occupants. It was quite an uneventful sight, so Eren swiped Mikasa's juice and stabbed the new carton with his straw as well. By the time he had thoroughly emptied its contents, Reiner was making his way back, and when he seated himself next to Bertholdt, he looked thoroughly satisfied.

"They said that little squirt would meet me in the alleyway after school," he answered their unspoken question, cracking his knuckles and grinning. "Said he never turns down a challenge."

Ymir shook her head, sighing. "You're signing your own death warrant," she muttered, but it was drowned out by the chorus of excited interrogation directed at their brawny companion.

As much as Eren wanted to join in, the juice boxes were coming back to haunt him, so he rose from his seat and swiped his lunch tray and bag. "Bathroom," he provided simply when he was given a few inquisitive looks, and his friends let him go with little ceremony aside from a few waves. Through the lunch room he wove his way, depositing his tray into one of the many large bins scattered throughout the cafeteria, until he was out in one of the main hallways.

The only noteworthy halls open during lunch were the main two that intersected in front of the cafeteria, so most of Trost's students lined the lockers, chatting and eating in small clusters. Unfortunately, because of the rest of the halls being off-limits, Eren had to trudge all the way down one of the long main halls to find the nearest boys' bathroom. The girls' bathroom just outside the cafeteria doors winked at him, but he squared his shoulders determinedly and started his long trek.

The crowds of students dwindled the further down the hall he roamed, until there were only lonely stragglers looking for a quiet corner. Eren ducked into the bathroom, greeted by a vestibule, and the room beyond the second door was empty judging by the silence that greeted him. Good, then. Call him childish, but he wasn't a big fan of the rowdy way boys liked to behave in bathrooms.

He braced himself, ready for the filth that always came with boys' bathrooms, genuinely surprised he didn't smell anything yet. Perhaps because it was only the first day? And this bathroom was quite out of the way. Maybe Eren would be lucky and only have to step over a puddle or two. Jesus, boys his age were nasty.

He opened the door, holding his breath as a precaution, and . . . promptly, his jaw dropped in shock. The place was totally spotless. Was - was he even supposed to be in here? Maybe it was off-limits? There was no way a bunch of teenage boys managed to avoid such a mess, or that the janitors could be persuaded to clean it in the middle of the day. Or at all - back in middle school, they frequently chose to just close the bathrooms, as the boys couldn't handle the privilege of multiple unmonitored ones.

Regardless, from the new-looking tile floor to the stall doors, the toilets within, the urinals, even the mirror stretched across the wall to his right - it was all spotless. Not even a smudge on the glass. Eren also noted, a sinking feeling overcoming his awe, that he was not, in fact, alone. A row of sinks with a nice-looking counter was opposite the mirror, and perched atop it was none other than Levi, studying him with those piercing silver eyes.

"Eren," the senior all but purred, delicately flicking ash from the cigarette Eren just now noticed into the nearest sink. Levi took a long drag of it, exhaled smoke, and continued, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"That is _terrible_ for you," Eren said instead of answering, raising a hand over his mouth and nose. "And for everyone else. If I'd smelled smoke at the door, I wouldn't have come."

"Just lit it," Levi supplied helpfully, eyes crinkling at the corners in what could only be amusement. "You're not afraid of a little lung cancer, are you?"

"Let alone smoking on school grounds," Eren continued, trying his best not to take the obvious mockery. "I could have you expelled."

"No, you couldn't," Levi hummed, taking another drag. Eren didn't know when he had stepped closer to the sink, but he was close enough now for Levi to blow the smoke obnoxiously into his face, earning a sputtering, indignant cough.

"No," Eren managed past the coughing, hiding no animosity in his burning glare, "I probably couldn't. You could at least have the decency to take it elsewhere, though."

Levi laughed at that, a deep, mocking one, and Eren could feel his cheeks puff up in indignance. "The _decency,"_ he repeated, amusement seeping into the words. "I don't know if you've noticed, kid, but I'm anything but decent."

"Yeah, well," Eren sputtered a protest, still somewhat scratchy at the smoke, "that doesn't make it better. I didn't exactly come in here to get exposed to secondhand smoke, asshole."

"Then do your business and move along." Levi gestured grandly with his free hand toward the urinals, and quirked an eyebrow when Eren felt his face heat. "I'm waiting."

"W-Well - " His moment of speechlessness was a show of weakness, Eren knew, and his annoyance - and anxiety - only rose higher in his chest. "I enjoy my privacy!"

"There's stalls," Levi replied dryly, and though the senior didn't notice, Eren felt the tension in his shoulders release. He'd just been unknowingly granted escape. When Eren didn't move, however, rooted to the spot by the panic he'd felt for only an instant, Levi rolled his eyes and made a _go away_ gesture. "Jesus, kid, go on."

Levi looked away from him, the staring contest they'd been having without Eren realizing it broken, and the freshman all but fled into the furthest stall to do his business. He willed his heart to slow as he sat down, and his ears strained to listen for Levi hopping off the counter. Outdated as it was, the fear of a bully barging in on him in the restroom was certainly greater than any physical danger Levi posed.

But Levi remained idly in place as the bathroom filled with the smell of smoke, and though Eren's chest constricted even more than usual he did his best to breathe slow and easy and not show any weakness to his newfound foe. He finished up with little incident, exited the stall, and determinedly didn't look at Levi as he approached the sinks, telling himself he didn't want to know if the other boy was watching him.

Levi, however, kicked a leg out, stretching it over the sinks, and Eren was forced to give him his best unimpressed glare. _"Excuse me."_

"You got bad lungs or something?" Levi asked with that same annoying quirked eyebrow, like he was studying Eren and whatever he found was hilarious. The brunet shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, reaching over Levi's leg for the faucet handle.

"Not that I know of."

And then he cranked on the cold water.

The response was immediate - Levi wrenched his leg away from the water and kicked out at Eren's chest, silver eyes flashing furiously, and Eren tumbled to the ground at the cheap shot. Of course Levi didn't know, but Eren didn't care. Levi's lips were pulled back in a sneer as he crushed the still-burning cigarette in his hand, accompanied by a small hiss of burning skin, and some part of Eren was deeply satisfied that he could wipe off that mocking smirk.

Even if it had Eren pressing a hand to his chest, breathing hard, more winded than he should have been.

Levi's glare matched his for a long moment, before it turned down to the crumpled remains of his cigarette. Huffing out a sigh, the senior dropped it in the sink, reached into the black bag next to him, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Eren watched in silence as Levi shook one out, a lighter coming out with it, lit it, and took a long drag that seemed to ease his posture. Satisfied, the senior finally hopped down from the counter and shouldered his bag.

"You sure seem like you have chest issues," he mused, approaching Eren, who was finally catching his breath. The freshman gave an annoyed huff.

"You asked about lung issues," he pointed out instead of answering, pointedly ignoring the way his heart rate spiked as Levi came closer. "Which I don't have."

Levi crouched before him, and it wasn't until he did that Eren realized he was still on the floor. In a boy's bathroom. God, he was lucky it was as clean as it was. He warily watched the way Levi brought the cigarette up to his lips, thoughtful, calculating. Had he figured Eren out?

"Try one, then," Levi said, cocking his head. His lips curled up into a catlike grin. "Or are you too chicken? Scared of the big bad cancer stick?"

Eren blinked at him for a moment, his heart taking a second to get the memo that they weren't at risk, and then blurted out in disbelief, "Are you _peer pressuring_ me?"

Levi snorted out a laugh. "I'm _challenging_ you, dumbass."

Ah, shit. Eren couldn't back down from a challenge. Not from Levi. Especially not when the senior was dangerously close to straddling him - he felt incredibly vulnerable at Levi's mercy, though he would never admit it to anyone else. And besides, if Eren could do this much, it'd be a double whammy to Levi. Something to add to the barely-noticeable wet patch on the shin of his black pants.

"Fine," Eren finally said, reaching for the cigarette. "I accept."

But Levi pulled it out of reach, and Eren frowned as the senior took a long drag of it, peering almost thoughtfully down at the freshman. Finally, just as Eren was opening his mouth to ask what the fuck he was doing, svelte fingers grasped his chin and pulled his face upward.

And then porcelain lips were on his in a kiss.

Maybe he couldn't call it that - Levi's lips brushed ever so slightly against his own, barely there, as smoke drifted between their mouths, warm and delicate and barely-present. Never one to back down, Eren breathed in, and though his eyes watered, he determinedly did not cough. Levi's silver orbs watched him with unveiled interest, and the senior pressed closer.

That - t-that was _too much!_

Eren scrambled, remembering he had limbs, and shoved at Levi's shoulders with all his might as his face positively _steamed._ And that asshole had the nerve to look so self-satisfied, so fucking _smug_ as he traced his thumb over his lower lip and studied Eren's incredibly embarrassed flush.

Eren would have punched him if he hadn't already pushed him so far away.

"The warning bell will be ringing in five minutes," Levi said as he rose to his feet, dusting his knees off despite nothing being there. "I'm sure your friends will wonder where you are."

And then he swept out of the bathroom, his boots crisp on the tile, and Eren buried his face in his hands and suppressed an infuriated shriek, his face still on fire. He was going to get that runt back, he vowed. Nobody embarrassed him like that, especially not short assholes like Levi who thought they owned the world -

But Eren had thought he was going to get Levi with the cigarette, and how had that turned out for him?

Eren could hold it in no longer. He groaned loudly into his palms, echoing in the empty bathroom.


End file.
